School Board Signs MOU
The Hells Canyon Journal, October 22, 2025
The Pine Eagle School District Board of Directors voted unanimously last week to officially support the efforts of a local committee to build a new track and field facility at the high school. The support comes in the form of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the district and track committee, which will allow the committee to move forward with fundraising and construction on school grounds and guarantee the district’s ownership and long-term maintenance of the track.
Board chair Kim Stutzman and board members Gavin Dolence and Janae Geurts were present at the meeting and voted yes. Board members Nina Petersen and Brad Denson were absent; however, Superintendent Cammie deCastro said both indicated their support of the MOU in emails prior to the board’s regular meeting held Monday, October 13. DeCastro noted the district and track committee have been going back and forth on the proposal since it was first introduced in August. The cost of upkeep, including re-striping and resurfacing, was the main stumbling block for the district. But deCastro said opinions changed after walking the track during a work session and discovering the 20-year-old asphalt base was still in relatively good shape. “Our whole administrative team kind of had an epiphany,” deCastro said. “We already have the track [and] one way or another we are going to have to fix what’s there at some point, and so we feel that since it’s already part of our facilities we’re recommending moving forward with the MOU, given a few changes.” DeCastro explained, “We will treat the track like we do all of our facilities, in that we put money aside for maintenance of all of our facilities. We will not earmark specific monies for the track, but just continue to put money aside to maintain all of our facilities to the best of our ability. We’re just recommending that we maintain it like we do everything else.”
The committee plans to install a new rubberized track surface and if the existing asphalt is used the cost would run between $255,000 to $420,500 depending on the type of surface selected. A complete reconstruction for a six-lane track would be $650,000 to $800,000, again depending on the surface and alternatives. The board has been told restriping is needed every seven to 10 years at a cost of about $7,000 and resurfacing, which should be done after 10-15 years, will run between $150,000 and $250,000. However, a consultant from Beynon Sports said weather is not a factor in the track’s longevity, and the track could hold up longer in an area like Halfway where there would not be heavy usage.
DeCastro told the board last week given the age of district facilities and mechanical systems, “even with our best laid plans and planning for our future needs, things can sometimes rise to the surface that we’re not even aware of.” She said this fall, for example, the safety system in the elementary building failed and had to be replaced and the circuit board for the school’s bell system didn’t survive an extended power outage and must be repaired or replaced. And then there are unexpected, and usually unfunded, state mandates such as Senate Bill 1116 which requires all school districts to install LED lighting in all buildings within five years. “Those are some of the issues for why our administrative team doesn’t feel confident or comfortable setting aside specific funding for the track itself, but just setting aside funding, and maybe more funding than we have if we can, for maintenance in general,” deCastro said. “I can’t prioritize [the track] over instruction and safety and laws that sometimes take precedent. So just treating it like all the rest of the facilities seems responsible. It goes in line with what we’re doing with everything else, and that’s why we felt comfortable with that recommendation.” DeCastro added, “Yes, the track’s important.
We love this offer from the committee. It’s something you can’t really pass up.” Annie Johnson, chair of the
track committee, said following the meeting, “I’m very grateful to Cammie and the school board for their consideration and approval of the track project. They put the time in by researching and asking good questions. The track committee will hit the ground running, and are excited to move from concept to reality. With community support we know we can reach our goal.
For questions about the project or to get involved don’t hesitate reaching out.” (Johnson’s email address is ajohnson@anvilengr.com).